DIY Shelves for under $50

 

Hello Friends, yesterday I had decided that we needed shelves in our living. The wall I had chose to make our feature wall is quite small so I opted to go with corner shelves. These babies although still fairly simple to make and inexpensive were a little more time consuming for prep (I`m use to just using brackets screws and pre cut panels) . We started with making a trip to home depot to grab the supplies.

What your going to need:

1 - 1x2 ( length depending on how many shelves) for the wall bracket
1 - 1x4 ( length depending on how many shelves) for the facing of the shelf
1 - large panel of pine in the width of  you desired shelf
1 - box of finishing nails
1 - box of drywall anchors
1 - small can of paint or stain
1 - tube of wood filler
1 - roll of painters tape
1 - small thing of sand paper
1 - drill bit
1 - drill
1 - level
1 - saw
1 - measuring tape

I went with 16x16x22.5 shelves. While I was at home depot I got them to cut wood to save some of my sanity. I had my 1x2 cut into six 15in. lengths, my 1x4 cut into three 24.5in. lengths, & my pine panelling in to two 16in. x 16in. squares. Once I got home I predrilled holes in my 1x2.

Once the holes were drilled, I cut one side of each of the ends at a 45 degree angle so they would fit in the corners perfectly. the turned the 1x2`s on their side and cut another 45 degree angle on the opposite side. ( I had originally planned on not putting a 1x4 on to the front of the shelf)  Once all my brackets were cut I nailed them into 90 degree brackets. REPEAT for how many shelves you plan on building.

Once you have the bracket nailed together, measure where on the wall you would like to place the bracket. Hold the bracket in place and use a level to square everything up. I used a pencil to draw a line once it was all level on both sides and marked where my pre drilled holes were. Then place you drywall anchors into the wall. Now screw your brackets into place.  REPEAT for how many shelves you plan on building.

 

 

Now this is the part that explains why I added facing to the shelf. With your 16in. x16in. square draw a line from corner to corner, using a skill saw cut as smoothly as you can across your line (lets just say my lines were not great). Once you cut all your shelving pieces, cut your 1x4 pieces on 45 degree angles on the same side of the board so they square into the wall. Using nails, nail the 1x4 to the face of your shelving board. now place onto your brackets and nail into place. Using your wood filler cover the nail heads and let dry. REPEAT for how many shelves you plan on building.

Now use you painters tape to surround your in place shelves and paint or stain them to your desired color. Now it for the waiting game my most difficult part letting them dry.

 

And your done! If I can do it trust me you can too! Let me know what you guys think of this tutorial below.